A few months passed, autumn turned into winter. Dewdrop and I went out on a couple more dates, and our relationship settled down into something more long term. Bones and my dad both backed off, particularly after I introduced him properly to my parents. On the work side of things, Rainbow was initially a little worried, and apparently had to send off some HR paperwork to Cloudsdale telling them that two of her officers were in a relationship. Other than that though, ponies were very accepting of it.
So things quickly settled down into their familiar routines. As we neared winter of course, weather work began to increase. The Running of the Leaves came and went, and soon we began getting the initial orders for snowfall, ice, frost, and even some occasional fog fronts. It was fascinating to watch how the landscape changed, even more so when you know that you had a hoof in it.
By early December, the green rolling hills were covered in pristine white snow, most of it barely marked by ponies. The skies were a beautiful crystal blue most days, and all the houses now sported a fine layer of frost on their roofs and windows, while lines of grey smoke would curl up from the chimneys in the morning, as ponies did their best to stave off the cold.
That was the only real problem; the cold. Of course, we keep the temperature tightly controlled this time of year. Dash said, despite our complaints, this was nothing to how things were before Equestria, when the Windigoes kept up a state of perpetual winter. Still, it was bitterly cold. Flying so high most of the time, plus the wind, meant we got it even worse than most. On more than one occasion, it was so cold that my goggles got stuck to my face. Fluttershy had to spend a good three quarters of an hour bathing the area with warm water to melt the fine frost just so I could take them off and see the silly panda eyes I now had.
Still, at least I had my flying scarf to help me keep warm. I’m sure great-great uncle Algernon struggled with the same conditions when he flew on the Western Front. Open cockpit flying at fifteen thousand feet is not a fun experience for ponies or humans when there’s a bitter north wind blowing. Still, at least he had a nice warm flying coat to go with his scarf.
Anyway, as we drew towards the end of the year, Hearth’s Warming Eve approached. This is the Equestrian’s biggest holiday, for which everything shuts down. It’s a sort of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Fourth of July all rolled into one. So you can imagine that to a Brit like me, it was a little alien. The whole raising of the flag thing in the morning makes me want to whistle ‘Deutschland, Deutschland, Über Ales’. Still, I’d happily sign up to the whole Christmas gig, particularly as there was an effective guarantee of a white Christmas, instead of just another grey, rainy day in December.
Given her status as a princess, and her owning a very large castle, Twilight was somewhat obliged to hold a Hearth’s Warming party for everypony, which she was happy to do. The huge crystal tree like castle was decorated with lights and ornaments, a holly wreath on the door, and a huge tree in the main hall, with a great raging fire in the fireplace to keep everypony warm. In concert with Pinkie Pie and Applejack, she even organised a banquet for everypony.
It was to this festive event that I was heading. It was in the early evening, but being winter, it was already pitch dark. If not for the light of the moon reflecting off the snow, flying would have been difficult. As a rule, pegasi, like most other animals, don’t fly in the dark, with the exception of thestrals, who have specially adapted eyesight.
I also had one other advantage myself. In addition to the warm Hearth’s Warming jumpers Fluttershy and I were wearing to ward off the cold, I’d taken a leap out of old Rudolph’s book. Attached to my nose, kindly enchanted by Rarity to make it glow, was a medium sized red ruby. Held fast on my snout, it acted, as in the story, as a great big headlamp for me.
Still, tonight it was easy enough. With Fluttershy alongside me, we both made for Twilight’s castle, which shone like a lighthouse against the darkening sky. With snow all around, lights, holly wreaths, trees, presents, and everything else, I was getting into the Christmas spirit.
As the two of us flew through the sky, I tried teaching Fluttershy a few Christmas carols and songs. She was quite interested in our alternative to the Equestrian holiday. Twilight was too, particularly in regards to the religious aspect, which made an interesting study for her on human society. I like to think that both holidays have the same motivation; a time when everypony and everyone opens their shut up hearts to their fellow man and comes together at that darkest time of the year in the spirit of friendship and harmony.
Sailing through the starry sky, we both managed a not too shabby version of ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’.
Before too long, the pair of us landed at the steps of Twilight’s castle. It was quite busy, with ponies filing in at a steady pace, eager to get into the warm. Through the open front doors, I picked up the smell of fir trees, mince pies, and roasted chestnuts. Above the doorway was a pair of golden bells, which rang softly in the wind. Well, you know the saying; ‘every time a bell rings, a pegasus gets his wings’.
Following the queue we were soon inside and I removed my flying scarf, which I’d kept wrapped tightly around in an effort to stay warm. I also turned down my nose gear to avoid blinding anypony I looked at. I got a few odd looks, but I thought it was quite a nice little thing to have. All I needed now was some of the antler headbands you used to be able to get.
The main hall was bustling with activity. It looked as though the entire town had turned out for this get together. Fluttershy spotted Twilight and her friends, while I picked out my parents. The two of us decided to split up for a while and then meet up later on. I was actually surprised that Fluttershy suggested that. But as I’ve said before, she’s come a long way from being that adorably shy wallflower. I left her to chat with her friends.
Meanwhile, I went over to chat with my parents. I’d seen Mum recently, but Dad, given how busy he was in Canterlot, had been a bit absent from my life for a few weeks. So I was looking forward to the chance to chat with him beyond mere passing.
The pair of them were dressed up suitably for the season. Mum had a typical woolly Christmas jumper on, with an image of Father Christmas embroided on the front and was sporting one of those red and white Santa hats with a silver bell attached to the end. Dad on the other hand, seemed to have been at his tailor’s again, and had dressed himself up in a very Dickensian fashion, complete with top hat, greatcoat and stick. They both looked to be having a great time chatting with Cheerilee when I trotted up.
“Mum! Dad!” I called out, catching their attention over the general hubbub that filled the hall. Both turned to me and smiled.
“Lizzie!” Mum called out, waving me over.
Jumping up briefly on my hind legs, I was able to hug her. Dad meanwhile, was a bit trickier, being closer to six feet. So I used my wings to get myself up to his level and wrapped my forelegs around him.
“It’s great to see you, sweetie,” he said kindly, equally glad to see me. A moment later, I carefully eased myself back down to the ground and folded my wings to my sides.
“You too, Dad,” I replied. “How’s it been up in Canterlot?” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Oh, not too bad,” he said. “Day Court keeps me busy enough, although I’m glad to say I haven’t seen Rainbow Dash’s name come up again.”
Dad had been involved in settling things with Cloudsdale after RD had a bit of a breakdown last winter. Long story short, she caused a lot of damage to the weather factory and covered Ponyville and the surrounding area in snow about a month ahead of schedule.
“Come on, Dad. I think she’s learnt her lesson by now,” I argued.
“True,” he replied. “But at this point she still owes Cloudsdale some seventy five thousand bits in damages. Anyway, enough about all of that. How have you been?”
“It’s certainly been busy this past month or so,” I said. “You wouldn’t believe how much work goes into making a controllable snow storm. Dewdrop volunteered to stay up this evening to keep an eye on things. Flight was about to have us draw straws otherwise.”
“Oh, so he’s going to miss out on all this?” Mum asking with a sad tone in her voice. “It seems a shame to leave him out in the cold.”
“Come on, dear,” Dad said. “You know what the lad’s like, always putting others before himself.”
At that point, we were joined by the fourth and final member of our family as Bones trotted up.
“Evenin’, everypony,” he said as he walked up, dusting off a bit of snow that had gathered on the brim of his Stetson. Mum quickly jumped on him.
“Good lord!” she exclaimed. “Haven’t you got a coat or anything, son? You must be freezing.”
With a grin, Bones powered up his horn, creating that signature dark blue glow. A moment later, a similarly coloured semi-sphere surrounded him.
“This keeps the snow and wind out, and keeps the heat in,” he replied, shouting a little to make himself heard through the magical shield. Deactivating his magic, he let the construct disappear again.
“Strong Shield showed me it was a good way to keep yourself protected, be it from enemy attack, or a chilly northern wind.”
“Impressive, lad,” my dad commented. Bones waved away the compliment.
“Ah don’t hold a candle to Starlight, never mind Twilight,” he replied.
“Still though,” Mum said. “Twilight told me that you know a fair bit more than the average unicorn.”
The four us chatted together, catching up on important events and what was happening in our lives. We often bumped into each other, but it was rare that all four of us could get together like this. Dad was kept busy in Canterlot, Mum had her schoolwork, I had my own job, and Bones had to look after the farm with Applejack.
About twenty minutes later, the four of us were joined by both Fluttershy and Applejack. The six friends had all got together, like us, to catch up. While they might be close friends with each other, life does sometimes make it harder for them all to get together as one group, at least when Equestria isn’t under threat of annihilation.
Apparently, they’d been doing their best to bring Starlight in on proceedings. While the one-time lunatic was adjusting back into society, she still had a few issues to work out. An off hoof mention to Twilight that she thought that holiday was a waste of time had prompted the little alicorn to go full on lecture mode. Starlight had tried to counter that she already knew the story, which she dismissed as make believe and an excuse for songs and partying.
Twilight however, had a different story, which Fluttershy related to us. And, to my surprise, while this was my first time hearing it, it was unmistakably familiar. The story was that of Snowfall Frost, a slightly psychotic unicorn that attempted, through potion, incantation, or other forms of magic, erase Hearth’s Warming Eve. Why you ask? Because it was a waste of time that could be used more productively elsewhere. When Fluttershy got to the Ghost of Hearth’s Warming Past, I felt compelled to step in.
“Hang on, Fluttershy!” I exclaimed. “That’s just ‘A Christmas Carol’ with ponies in it!” Fluttershy looked at me, confused.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“It’s a book written back on Earth,” my dad explained. “The storyline is quite similar to that of Snowfall Frost, only it uses Christmas instead of Hearth’s Warming Eve and there’s no magic. Actually, now that I think about it…” He trailed off.
Looking around for a few moments, my Dad picked out Spike, who was contentedly chatting away with Rarity. Now there’s a surprise.
“Hey, Spike!” my dad called, getting the little dragon’s attention. “Any chance you could fetch a book from Twilight’s library for me?”
Spike quickly came over to us, with my Dad bending down to be closer to his eye level. He only comes up to my shoulders, so you can imagine how small he is next to a six foot human.
“Sure, Roger. What are you looking for?” he asked. My dad smiled.
“One of the books that came through the portal from Earth,” he explained. “A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, mid nineteenth century.” The dragon nodded and went off to look.
“So what’s this story like then?” Fluttershy asked curiously. “And how can it be so similar to the tale of Snowfall Frost?” Now Bones stepped in.
“We’ve seen lots of parallels between our two worlds, Fluttershy,” he explained. “Everything from famous people and places, to languages, even the animals here in Equestria have their counterparts on Earth. This is just another example of the overlap between the two.”
“It is fascinating though isn’t it,” my mum said. “How our two societies can grow up, completely unaware of the other, and yet develop along such similar lines.” We all nodded in agreement at that.
A few minutes later, Spike returned, a leather bound volume in his claws. He handed it to Dad, who promptly dusted it off and opened it up.
“Yes, this is the one, Spike,” he said. “Thanks, lad.” Spike shrugged his shoulders.
“Eh, no biggie,” Spike replied. “You know, I don’t think Twilight’s actually read this yet.” He’d barely had a chance to take another look at the book, when a lavender coloured blur shot into our small group as if from nowhere.
“What?!” Twilight exclaimed in amazement and shock. “A book I haven’t read?!” She grabbed the novel from my Dad’s hands and eyed it eagerly. Luckily, he was understanding.
“Okay, easy there, Twilight,” he said, gently prising the book from her hooves. An idea then struck him.
“Hey, how about this?” he suggested with a smile. “My dad always used to read this to me and my mum every Christmas. It isn’t an especially long read, and the night’s young yet. How about I do a live reading here for everypony in the castle? A chance to get acquainted with some of Earth’s greatest literature."
This served to calm the excited Twilight down. She readily agreed to it and quickly gathered all her friends together, including Starlight. After that, she went up to one of the galleries that overlooked the main hall and let everypony else know what was happening. I think even my dad was surprised by the numbers. Rainbow even allowed me to go and fetch Dewdrop in, since the storm was due to stop any time now.
And so, we all gathered together in the great hall. My dad set himself down with the book and his reading glasses at one of the tables. To add to the authenticity, and allow the story to give off that truly supernatural vibe, he had Twilight dim the lights, with only a few candles to light the room.
Leaning back in the chair, he turned to the first page and began.
“Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail…”
The assembled crowd of ponies spent the next couple of hours listening to my dad read. Apart from the occasional whispered remark to a friend, or a sudden surprised gasp, the large crowd stayed silent. My dad has always been a good speaker, and he was really able to bring the story to life, from the opening description of Scrooge, to the sudden appearance of Marley’s ghost in Scrooge’s home (a facet that was absent from the tale of Snowfall Frost and scared even Rainbow Dash out of her wits), to the three ghosts of Christmas, ending with the terrifying image of Scrooge kneeling next to the Ghost Christmas Yet to Come, begging it to prevent the terrible future it showed him.
I think everypony found some warmth in the heart warming finale. The story does end on such a wonderful note. Even in the darkest time of the year, we can all still come together for the betterment of others, and no one is too old to learn from their mistakes.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Starlight Glimmer, who had kept some distance from the crowd smiling as my dad came to the end of the story.
“He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”
The assembled ponies all applauded as he finished, stamping their hooves in the crystal floor. Closing the book up, Dad took off his reading glasses and thanked the ponies for their attention. He enjoyed reading too I think, keeping one of his own Christmas traditions alive.
It is interesting to think how much we have left Earth behind these past couple of years. I haven’t forgotten my life there by any means, nor have any of us. But living in Equestria has meant many changes, so it was nice to relive on little bit of Earth through that old story.
With the story done, Twilight declared that, thanks to Pinkie, Applejack and a few cooks sent down by Celestia from Canterlot, the feast was ready. Everypony promptly sat themselves down at the long crystal table. The four of us found ourselves sitting next to each other. I was between Mum and Dad, while Bones was next to Mum. Beyond him was Applejack and Big Mac, and past Dad was Dewdrop. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were with their friends and sat opposite us.
The feast was something else. While there was sadly no goose, turkey, chicken or duck to be had, there were plenty of foods we could all enjoy, including a very nice vegetable stew that warmed everypony through.
As I said before, it was nice that we were all able to get together as a family for once. I know Bones and me are both adults and we’ve both flown the next, literally in my case, but it’s always nice to be around your parents, and they treat you like kids no matter how old you get.
Mum asked me if I fancied going up with her on a shopping trip to Canterlot. It seemed that Dad, in one of his rare diabolical moods, courtesy of Discord, had pitched the idea of January sales to Princess Celestia, and it seemed to have taken root. Heaven help the ponies come New Years’ when the rush begins. Bones meanwhile offered Dad the chance to go camping with him next time he went out to check the many miles of fences that surrounded Sweet Apple Acres.
“Oh, it’s just so nice to be able to spend Christmas…er Hearth’s Warming as a family,” Mum said with a teary eyed smile.
“And good friends too,” Bones replied. “Remember last year? Applejack and the others all went to visit Pinkie’s family on their rock farm and I came by your place looking for some Heath’s Warming dinner.” Mum and Dad laughed at that memory.
“We had to let you in, lad,” Dad replied. “You looked like some poor lost puppy out there in the snow.” Bones blushed at the friendly jab.
“Do you want me and Lizzie to stop by tomorrow like last year?” he asked. Mum nodded.
“Of course!” she replied. “Just because we’re in Equestria doesn’t mean you stop the traditional open house come December 25th. You can bring Applejack along too if you like. And Dewdrop, you’re welcome to drop by too.”
The stallion in question quietly nodded and promised his attendance.
A couple hours later and it was getting late. The town clock chimed out ten and the party began to steadily break up as ponies headed home. We were all sitting at the table still, chatting with each other and the various friends we spotted from amongst the crowd.
Bones and Applejack were the first of our group to head home, needing the early start tomorrow. Just because it was Hearth’s Warming didn’t mean that their chores magically went away.
Twilight stationed herself near the doorway, wishing everypony who left the compliments of the season. An increasingly tired looking Spike stood by her side, along with Starlight, who was endeavouring to make a few more friends and finally shed her old cult leader image.
Mum and Dad went next. There was no school for Mum tomorrow, and Day Court was always suspended over Hearth’s Warming, so they’d both be having a lie in. I think they were certainly glad that there were no more kids waking them up at half-five, jumping on their bed and demanded to all go downstairs to see what presents Father Christmas had left them.
That left just me and Fluttershy. We both would be getting up somewhat early to look after all the animals in the cottage. While I may have a job working on the patrol, I do my best to help out wherever and whenever I can; it’s partly the reason I wanted to be a pegasus in the first place after all.
Saying goodnight to Twilight, Spike and Starlight, the two of us headed home again. The snow had long since stopped and the clouds had parted, letting the moon and the stars shine through, and making our short flight home that much easier. It was also easier to talk as well.
“So you’re telling me,” Fluttershy said as we passed over town hall. “That on this night, every year, back on Earth, all the animals get human voices?” I smiled and shook my head.
“It’s just a legend, Fluttershy,” I replied. “Something you tell little kids about. It doesn’t really work here in Equestria though does it, certainly not as far as you’re concerned?”
Fluttershy can, after all, quite easily translate tweets, chirps, barks and clucks into Equestrian. And then of course, there are the cows and sheep. They occupy a rather odd spot in this society, being intelligent and able to talk, but not treated in the same way as ponies, zebras or other sapient creatures.
Before too long, the cottage appeared before us. It looked so beautiful in the night. Fluttershy and I had hung multi-coloured lights on the windows and along the edge of the roof. There was a snowpony in the garden that the two of us hand built. And in the window, you could just make out the same tree that stood, fully decorated in the corner of the front room.
Touching down almost silently in the soft, and somewhat deep snow, the two of us quickly hurried inside. I quickly went and stoked up the fire to get us some warmth before we went to bed, being careful to put the guard around it.
After that, the two of us stayed up for a little while before going off to bed, each looking forward to what tomorrow would bring.
The next morning, the two of us were woken from our respective beds by Angel. It seemed that Fluttershy had promised to make him one of his favourite meals for breakfast; some sort of carrot salad that was almost as big as he was. After turning us both out of our beds, the rabbit stood at the top of the stairs stamping his foot for attention. Somepony should really tell him that rabbits only do that to signal danger.
After Fluttershy had given him breakfast, the two of us set about feeding all the other animals. Wintertime sees both a drop and increase in the number of animals Fluttershy tends to. Some animals, like Harry the bear, the hedgehogs, the frogs and a few other creatures, RD’s pet tortoise Tank included, go off to hibernate in the winter. But at the same time, those who don’t hibernate have a harder time finding food and come to rely on Fluttershy more. This winter morning, the house was filled with birds and other small critters that had come inside to escape the biting cold.
With that all done, the two of us sat down to our own breakfasts before going on to give each other our presents. Angel, as I said before, had his special breakfast from Fluttershy. I meanwhile, wanting to get back at him for once, gave him one of those terribly itchy Christmas jumpers. Fluttershy thought it so cute that, despite Angel’s protests, he was compelled to wear it all day.
For Fluttershy I gave her one of my favourite childhood books from Earth, which had come through the rift. I was a little more careful in my choice than Bones, who, without telling her about the story, once gave her a copy of Watership Down. The poor mare was in tears for weeks. Playing things a little more safe, I gave her my old copy of The Animals of Farthing Wood, and had the decency to warn her about a couple of chapters.
As for me, Fluttershy gave me a very nice flying jacket. It was similar to the one Dash had from the Wonderbolts, although it lacked the various patches that hers came with. Instead it was just plain faux leather and wool lined. In any case, it would help me stay warm at high altitudes in the winter.
At around midday, the two of us arrived at my parents’ house. The front door sat wide open, as did the gate that led up the small path from the road. Inside, I could hear talking, laughter, and the unmistakable sounds of Christmas pop songs.
Mum used to have this CD called ‘The Best Christmas Album in the World…Ever’; a mix of 80’s and 90’s Christmas hits and older carols and songs. At the moment, I could hear John Lennon singing ‘Happy Christmas’. We always used to have that CD on when we put up and decorated the Christmas tree, and when we opened the presents on Christmas morning. By a stroke of luck, it had come through the rife intact, and thanks to Twilight, been turned into a record compatible with Equestrian technology.
Rapping on a door with a hoof, I called out.
“Hello? We’re here!”
Instantly, I heard cheering from the front room, and Mum came out into the hallway to welcome us in. Along with her Christmas themed jumper, she now had on one of those silly paper party hats that barely fitted her small head. Following at her heels was Charlie, who was equally pleased to see us. That changeling really has his act down to a fine art.
“Lizzie! Fluttershy! Great to see you. Happy Hearth’s Warming!” she said over the noise. Ushering us on, we soon found ourselves in the front room, where the party was in full swing.
There was full buffet laid out on the dining table for everyone to nibble at, as well as a fair bit of drink flowing. The record player was blasting, with Dad trying, and failing, to dance. Bones and Applejack were both tugging away at a Christmas cracker with their hooves. A few moments after we walked in, Applejack’s earth pony strength won out and the cracker went off with a pop, briefly startling Fluttershy. And surprisingly, Dewdrop had made it here before us. He was in the kitchen, stirring something in a large pot.
“Well, looks like we got here just in time,” I said as we walked in. “What’s Dewdrop doing, Mum?” Mum smiled and laughed before tapping my dad on the shoulder.
“You want to tell your daughter what you’ve got her poor boyfriend doing?” she asked. Dad stopped his crime against dancing and turned to me.
“Dewdrop’s helping me and Bones make the Bishop this year,” he explained.
“Bishop?” Fluttershy asked curiously.
“It’s an old Christmastime drink, Fluttershy,” Bones explained, having put AJ’s party hat on her head in the place of her usual Stetson. “Ya take a bottle of Port, heat it, then add a mix of ginger, coriander, and a few other spices, then let it simmer with a whole lemon studded with whole cloves. Ya serve it real hot to warm yourself up.”
Trotting into the kitchen, he conferred with Dewdrop for a couple moments, briefly testing a spoonful of the concoction. After running his slightly burnt tongue under some cold water, he came back and announced that it was ready. Dewdrop followed, bringing the steaming pot through, while Mum fetched some breakfast bowls to serve it in.
Using a ladle, the poured a few bowls out, one for herself and Dad. There were also a couple of heat resistant glasses, for those who only wanted to try it, which included Bones and AJ, as well as Dewdrop himself. He wanted to see precisely what he’d made; Bishop was a strong smelling drink after all. We even gave Charlie a little bit in his bowl.
“How ‘bout you try a sip, Fluttershy?” Bones suggested. “The alcohol is mostly boiled off, so it’s really just hot, spicy, grape juice.”
Taking a careful sniff, Fluttershy opted to try a bit, as did I. I could never manage a full bowl of the stuff; alcohol or not, Bishop really knocks you for six. It’s very nice, but the spices are very strong. The first year Dad and Bones made it, Mum had a full bowl in one sitting. By Boxing Day, her throat had pretty much seized up, and she couldn’t talk until New Year’s.
It was lovely.
Still, all three ponies, while caught off guard by the strength of the flavour, certainly enjoyed the drink. Applejack even asked my dad for the recipe, and suggested that maybe next winter, they could start a little seasonal business.
The seven of us then all settled down in the living room chatting with each other. Bones and Applejack got up at one point when ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’ came on the record player. Within the first verse, Mum, Dad, me, Dewdrop, and Fluttershy had all got up as well, singing the chorus and any line we knew.
Finally, around two o’clock, we all gathered around the little projector that Mum and Dad kept in their front room. They used it to watch old videos and DVDs that Twilight had turned into reels for them. There was one last Christmas tradition to perform after all, that involved gathering around the television. By a stroke of luck, the most recent speech, as far as we were aware, had come through on a copy of another tape. It was just a simple matter of spooling it up to the right spot.
As we all gathered on the sofa and chairs, Dad flicked the switch and commanded everypony to briefly in stand. It was time to hear Her Majesty speak.
After watching the Queen’s Christmas message, the little party began to wind down. After all, we all had other ponies to drop in on, or celebrations waiting for us at home. Still, it was great to get together with my family; with old friends and new friends.
And hey, who says no to free food and drink?